"Well, in the first place," said the captain, "it's about the worst set of swabs that ever called themselves sailors. Some of 'em don't seem to know the spanker boom from the jib. Of course, that isn't true of all of 'em. Perhaps half of them are fairly good men. But the rest seem to be scum and riffraff."
"What did you ship the lubbers for?" asked Grimshaw.
"I didn't," answered Captain Hamilton. "I was so busy with other things that I left it to Ditty."
"An' there you left it to a good man!" Tyke said scornfully. "I've been keeping tabs on that Bug-eye, as they call him, since I come aboard. He's a bad actor, he is. Listen here, Cap'n Rufe——" and the old man, with a warning hand on Captain Hamilton's knee and in a low voice, repeated what he had told Drew in the hospital about the one-eyed man being at the scene of his accident.
"And was it Ditty?" gasped Captain Hamilton.
"Surest thing you know. An' I don't believe I dreamed he went through my pockets. What was that for, when he didn't rob me of my watch and cash?"
The master of the schooner shook his head thoughtfully, making no immediate reply.
"Ditty's a pretty good sailor himself, I notice," went on Tyke.
"None better," assented the captain.
"An' he knows a sailor when he sees one?" continued the old man.